Ages And Ages – ‘Divisionary’

Ages And Ages - 'Divisionary'

Score

The Portland choral-pop group tread the line of jaunty exuberance with mixed results

‘Divisionary’, explain Portland’s seven-piece choral-pop collective Ages And Ages, is a portmanteau of ‘division’ and ‘visionary’, and though it might be a stretch to justify the latter, there’s much here that could prove divisive. The record is largely united by an atmosphere of glass-half-full exuberance, but Ages And Ages execute their ethos with varying degrees of success. ‘I See More’ is a pleasing romp à la Of Montreal back when they were bearable, while acoustic highlight ‘These Ravines’ has a whiff of The Delgados’ brilliant ‘American Trilogy’ to it. Occasionally, though (‘No Pressure’, ‘Big Idea’), the jaunty positivity treads too far into Edward Sharpe territory and all you’re left craving is a healthy slice of cynicism.